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Bullet Bills are recurring enemies in the Mario franchise which first appeared in Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Bullet Bills are living, black, bullet-shaped missiles. They are characterized by two large, slanted eyes, which give them a menacing appearance, and white hands. Bullet Bills are launched from Bill Blasters and continue traveling in a straight line. In certain 2D titles of the Super Mario series, some Bullet Bills are fired from off-screen. Bullet Bills can be defeated by a stomp or the Starman, which can defeat most enemies to begin with.
Super Mario series[]
Super Mario Bros.[]
In Super Mario Bros., Bullet Bills are one of the enemies introduced later on, first appearing in World 5-1.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[]
In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Bullet Bills are even more common but they still behave identically as in Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 3[]
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Bullet Bills most commonly appear in airship stages but otherwise act the same as before. The game is also the first appearance of their homing variant, Missile Bill.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins[]
In Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Bullet Bills appear as enemies again. Stomping on a Bullet Bill defeats it temporarily before another is shot from a Bill Blaster shortly afterward. Bullet Bills can only be permanently defeated from a Spin Jump.
Super Mario 64[]
In Super Mario 64, Bullet Bills appear only on top of Whomp's Fortress. They are shot from a Bill Blaster on top of the fortress from the second mission onward, after the player has defeated the Whomp King. The Bullet Bills are much larger, more closely resembling Banzai Bills, and can home in on Mario. He can still defeat a Bullet Bill by stomping it.
Super Mario Sunshine[]
In Super Mario Sunshine, Bullet Bills return as enemies. They are typically shot from Cannons utilized by Monty Moles. They also have color varieties that all have their own distinct properties: purple Bullet Bills can home in on Mario; gold Bullet Bills drop more coins upon defeat; and blue Bullet Bills drop either a 1-Up Mushroom or a Water Bottle. The blue type appears only during the final battle against Bowser.
Super Mario 64 DS[]
In Super Mario 64 DS, Bullet Bills are defeated by a different method than in Super Mario 64. They can only be destroyed if one of the player characters (Mario, Yoshi, Luigi, or Wario) touches it while they become temporarily gigantic from the effects of the Super Mushroom.
New Super Mario Bros.[]
Bullet Bills also appear as enemies in the Nintendo DS title New Super Mario Bros.. Besides being shot out of Bill Blasters, Bullet Bills are now also fired out of Bullet Bill Turrets.
Super Mario Galaxy[]
Bullet Bills also appear as enemies in Super Mario Galaxy. All of them home in on Mario or Luigi and can be destroyed by hitting an object. Additionally, players can stun a Bullet Bill in mid-air by tapping it while pointing with the Wii Remote.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[]
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Bullet Bills make a reappearance. The game introduces the King Bill variety, which is even larger than a Banzai Bill, filling almost the entire screen width.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[]
In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Bullet Bills retain their role from the first Super Mario Galaxy, except some of them now launch straightforward.
Spinoff Mario games[]
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[]
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Bullet Bills appear as enemies. Jumping on a Bullet Bill in the Sunken Ship prevents Bullet Bills from being subsequently fired from the same cannon.
Mario Party series[]
Mario Party 2[]
In Mario Party 2, Bullet Bills are among the weapons shot by the ship in the minigame Bombs Away.
Mario Party 8[]
In Mario Party 8, Bullet Bills appear in a few minigames. They are obstacles needing to be avoided in Sick and Twisted, as any character hit by a Bullet Bill gets eliminated. Bullet Bills are also represented as panels in the minigame Puzzle Pillars, and must be cleared quickly or else the player loses five seconds.
Exclusive to Bowser's Warped Orbit is a Bullet Bill-themed candy named Bullet Candy. While in use, the candy changes the lower portion of the user's body into that of a Bullet Bill. As the user charges along the board, they can steal a Star from whomever they hit.
Mario Kart series[]
Mario Kart: Double Dash!![]
In Mario Kart: Double Dash‼, Bullet Bills do not appear, but Bowser Jr.'s personal kart, the Bullet Blaster, is in the shape of one.
Mario Kart DS[]
Bullet Bills appear as items in Mario Kart DS onward. It transforms a character into a Bullet Bill that travels at high speed and knocks aside anything it touches. The Bullet Bill is considered one of the most advantageous items and can therefore be only obtained by racers in lower positions.
The Bullet Bill is seen as comparable to Chain Chomp in Mario Kart: Double Dash‼, as it automatically drives the racer, but unlike the Chain Chomp, the racer is impervious to all attacks as a Bullet Bill, which just poofs away once the effects wear off.
Mario Kart Wii[]
In Mario Kart Wii, the Bullet Bill retains its role as an item. The game also introduced the Bullet Bike, which is essentially the bike equivalent of the Bullet Blaster kart.
Yoshi games[]
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island[]
In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Bullet Bills are colored green, including their corresponding Turtle Cannons. They also have a visible grin on their face. The game introduces another variety, Bouncing Bullet Bills, which bounce off of the walls while moving around. In the remake Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Missile Bills appear as the red variety.
Crossover games[]
Super Smash Bros. series[]
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Bullet Bills are among the enemies that appear in the single-player campaign Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary. Bullet Bills are similarly featured as enemies exclusively in the Smash Run mode of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
A Bullet Bill is also an item in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. When a fighter picks up a Bullet Bill, they transform into it, charging straightforward in the direction indicated. The attack has high knockback, though it puts them at risk of being taken over ledges.
Guest appearances[]
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess[]
A Bullet Bill is on Fyer's sleeve in the video game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Variants[]
- Sniper Bill: These bullet bills will fire from a distance.
- Bullet Shell Bill: These bullet bills will release a large amount of coins when destroyed.They will also bounce off walls and are gold which gives them the name Golden Bullet Bill.
- Invisa Bill: These green bullet bills can go through walls.
- Bowser Bill: A green bullet bill with horns.
- Mad Bullet Bill: A flaming red bullet.
- Mad Banzai Bill: A flaming red banzai bill.
- Glad Torpedo Ted: A gold, happy torpedo ted.
External links[]
- Bullet Bill at Mario Wiki, the Fandom wiki on Mario
- Bullet Bill at Super Mario Wiki, the Super Mario wiki